Yin and Yang
by jaqtkd
Summary: Seven short stories written for the 'Mergana Prompt Party' by 'Merganas' on Tumblr. Darkness and Light, Hatred and love, Yin and Yang. These two are both opposites and yet also the same and this is what makes them so interesting to write about.
1. Magic

Seven short stories written for the 'Mergana Prompt Party' on Tumblr

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**Day One: Magic**

Gaius had ordered Merlin not to tell Morgana about his magic, and Kilgharrah was adamant that she remain ignorant about her power but the young warlock knew such instructions would be hard to follow. He may have reluctantly agreed to the restrictions imposed upon him but his magic, unfortunately, had not.

When they crossed paths he felt it; an incessant pull, as if he were no more than a puppet pulled by strings that she held. Even with his eyes closed he could still see and sense her; the shape and power of her magic glowing luminously through his eyelids and, as time went by, Merlin realised that she was starting to feel it too.

Now, whenever he came into her presence, her gaze instantly found him; no matter how engrossing her task. As he helped her down from her horse her expression informed him that she had felt it too; the warm pulse, like a static shock vibrating between them and tilting the world sideways, drawing her closer that was respectable; her magic calling to his.

And now she strode into his chambers, dark hair bouncing, green eyes determined, focused only on him.

"There's something about you, Merlin. Something I don't understand."

He backing away, shaking his head, nervous about what would happen, but then she pressed her hands against his chest and her lips against his and every candle burst into flame, as magic flowed through their bodies and danced around the room in celebration.

Joined, at last.

~o~0~o~

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_******A/N: **Ssh, not a repeat - absolutely not. :P _

_I ended up also using this drabble as a prompt for 'The Heart of Camelot' word challenge 'Luminous' but, I really wanted to put all of these here as one set. Anyway, second chapter's coming up in just a few minutes so... never fear. _


	2. Darkness to your Light

Seven short stories written for the 'Mergana Prompt Party' on Tumblr

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**Day Two: Darkness to your Light**

******Yin and Yang**

It was always dark in Morgana's dreams. Dark and cold. But that didn't mean she always experienced a nightmare. Sometimes the blackness felt soft and calm like deep water, flowing gently and wrapping her in a blanket of comforting peacefulness. Some nights the dark didn't mean loneliness or fear. Sometimes it meant silence and stillness and home.

And often, during those dreams, Morgana would see a bright light in the distance and give chase; laughing as she skipped over the dark sea of night-time and ran for the tempting warmth ahead. And when she reached her goal she would be faced with someone who appeared both identical and totally different to her - light eyes, dark hair, light skin, dark soul - and it was then that she realised the truth. That whether awake or asleep it was only when he was by her side that she ever felt truly whole.

Some nights she would even recognised him, although she never remembered during the day. He was well known to her; at some times her friend and at others her foe. A familiar face with a totally unrecognisable soul.

"Merlin?" She asked, not quite believing her eyes.

He laughed, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheeks, and the warmth of it felt like fire and life and passion. "So cool, so beautiful," he whispered. And there, in his company, all she could see was his light and she could never understand how it came to be quite so bright.

"Sometimes it's so dark here," she said. "Sometimes I feel so alone."

"But that's not true," he replied. "You are never alone."

"That's how it feels at times. How it feels when you're not here."

He shook his head. "You cannot be alone because you are the shadow, and the shadow only exists because the sun is shining."

She nodded. "You are the sun and I am the shadow. The darkness to your light."

"Opposite and equal."

"Why are you here in my dreams, Merlin? Why are you so important?"

"You don't know?"

She shook her head and he moved closer, taking her hands in his. "Things are better when you're near though."

"Yes and I wish it could always be this way."

"It can't?"

"Perhaps in our dreams." And then he kissed her and at that moment, in the safety of sleep, light and darkness could be joined in peace.

~o~0~o~


	3. Betrayal

Seven short stories written for the 'Mergana Prompt Party' on Tumblr

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**Day Three: Betrayal**

The second Morgana saw Merlin standing outside the museum, she remembered. Remembered her previous life as King's ward and sorceress, remembered the man in front of her as her old enemy, remembered the times he had hurt her and the times he had killed her. And, as those memories returned, so did the anger and she leapt at him - clawed hands aiming for his face, spitting and snarling like an angry cat.

He grabbed her wrists as she came close - not attempting to stop her angry tirade - just wincing at the occasional accusation, tears forming in his eyes whilst he held her at arm's length. Eyes constantly flicking to one side to watch the reaction of those that walked past them in the busy city.

Not that anyone would intervene – not in this day and age. Some of them didn't even notice the argument; eyes glued to the small screens in front of them, ears hearing only the music being blasted into their ears through their headphones. Just a few glances, by a few people who were trying to decide if this fight might be serious enough to phone the police – or interesting enough to record for You Tube.

"How could you do that, Merlin?" she finished, suddenly slumping to her knees in defeat. "How could you betray me?"

"Betray? That wasn't me, Morgana. That was you."

"What?"

He risked letting her go, guessing she'd spent most of her anger for now and joined her down on his knees, ignoring the cold pavement, the noise and the people still streaming by. "There are a lot of things I regret from back then," he admitted quietly. "A lot of things I'm ashamed of. I'm guilty of so much, it's true, but not of betrayal. Never that."

"You poisoned me."

"One of my many regrets." He sighed. "At the time I felt I had no choice. Maybe there was one but I couldn't see it at the time. I gave you chances to admit your part in the affair, but you never did."

"I didn't know," she replied. "Not really."

He shrugged. "Perhaps."

"You had magic and you never said. All those years. All that power."

"I was warned not to tell you," he continued calmly. "Perhaps that was bad advice. Perhaps not."

"Things would have been different if you'd told me," she insisted.

"Maybe. But all of that was my problem not yours. Our decisions were ours alone, regardless of the choices others made. Your betrayals were your choice. If I had not been there you would have reacted in exactly the same way."

"You're wrong, Merlin. So wrong about so many things."

He shrugged. "Well, I've had a long time to think about it, Morgana, but I never betrayed anyone or anything; not Arthur, not Camelot and not you. Not once did I tell anyone about you – about your magic or about your schemes."

"Ha! This is all sophistry, Merlin. You're simply twisting words to suit you – to excuse your sins. You do not believe you betrayed Camelot because you always did what was right for Arthur. What if you were wrong, what if you were betraying Camelot by supporting him? If you had only supported magic then Camelot would have flourished.

"Camelot _did_ flourish..." he disagreed.

"Magic didn't."

"It did, once you were gone. Gwen repealed Arthur's laws just a week after your death."

"Ha, so you were supporting the wrong Pendragon, after all," she gloated.

"Not really. if I hadn't supported Arthur then Gwen would never have become queen."

"Sophistry again; you're the master of it, Merlin but, it makes little difference. I did not betray Camelot because I did what was right. I supported magic and, If I had had my way, I could have brought it back so much sooner."

"No, Morgana, you're wrong. You most certainly betrayed Arthur and Uther, but that wasn't the worse thing you did back then. You betrayed magic itself."

"What?" She gaped at him. "You can say that to me? You of all people who lied and cheated and hid your magic from everyone. I stayed true to who and what I was, you were the one that betrayed magic by siding with Uther and Arthur."

"No, I stayed true to my magic, to _pure_ magic." He paused and she shook her head. Struggling to understand. "I _am_ magic, Morgana," he continued. "So I have a certain amount of qualification on the subject, and I can tell you that it's pure, happy, light and innocent. It should never, ever be used to cause hate or pain and yet, that is what it had become. That is why Uther started the purge – because he saw the corruption - and, in that much he was correct." He pulled a face as he said it.

"I can't believe you're saying that."

"Neither can I, to be honest but, like you, Uther believed he was right, believed magic was inherently evil just as you believed that those without it were inferior."

The anger returned, her eyes almost glowing with it. "Do not make the mistake of comparing me with Uther, Merlin. Not ever."

He shrugged. "You both believed that your way was the right way and you both believed that collateral damage was inevitable – even necessary. I did not."

"How dare you..."

"Your brief rule simply proved the point. I may have even decided to support you if you had been a just queen bringing back magic for the sake of the people, but you slaughtered them, Morgana. You decided to kill a bunch of people without magic, just to prove your point. How is that different from Uther killing a bunch of people for having magic?"

"He killed thousands over so many years."

"As you would have done if we had not stopped you."

"I did not betray Camelot!" she shouted. "And I would _never_ betray magic."

"Uther was wrong and I understand why you went against him, I really do, but Arthur? You _knew_ he could be persuaded, Morgana. You said so yourself when you were younger. You more than anyone else could have helped me to change his mind but, no. All you did was attack him with magic and help prove to him that Uther was correct all along."

"What?"

"You let Arthur think his father's views were right. You turned other sorcerers against him – told them lies about him continuing Uther's ways when he was actually in negotiations to bring magic back. Every single time I got close to persuading him, you or one of your minions would turn up and thwart me – proving to Arthur that magic really was evil after all."

She shook her head. "You could have changed that if you had just told him what you were. He would have listened to you."

"As I said, I have very many regrets, but that really isn't the issue here."

"Together we could have persuaded him," she pushed.

He sighed. "No-one wanted magic back after that brief time with you as queen, Morgana. Any support you may have had disappeared within days. Arthur struggled to put through his legislation regarding druids after his promise – the council objected, the people objected. _You_ were the main reason that magic was not returned years earlier. If you had just left it up to me, I'd have had Arthur change the law a month after his coronation."

"Then you should have told me."

"When did you ever give me the chance?"

She frowned for a moment. "There were plenty of times."

"I hinted at it numerous times but, as a lowly servant I didn't feel I could risk much more. Again, perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps I wasn't."

"How could you keep quiet after all you saw?" she pushed. "How could you not use that power? I thought you agreed with me in that. I thought that you understood that we have to do what we believed to be right-"

"-And damn the consequences?" He asked. "Yes, that was my problem too but, as I said, it all worked out in the end. Once you were gone, things became so much easier."

She was silent then, thoughtful. "I thought I was alone back then. I thought I had nobody."

He sighed. "You were wrong. So was I."

"Then, I suppose, for what it's worth... I-I'm sorry."

"Yes." He held out his arms to her, inviting her to come closer. "I'm sorry too."

~o~0~o~


	4. Death

Seven short stories written for the 'Mergana Prompt Party' on Tumblr

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_**A/N:** 100 word drabble set at the end of 5x13_

**Day Four: Death**

After setting Arthur adrift on the lake, Merlin returned to build a cairn for Morgana, just as she had for Mordred.

"_Until then we go unmarked in death as in life," he recalled the young man saying. _

"I loved you once,"Merlin said as he placed the final stone. "I'm not sure I ever stopped, but now I've lost everything."

"_Do not let it be in vain, Merlin. Don't allow our deaths to be wasted; not Arthur's, not Mordred's, not mine. Allow our voices to be heard and return magic to the kingdom, for now there's no-one else who can."_

~o~0~o~


	5. Dragons

Seven short stories written for the 'Mergana Prompt Party' on Tumblr

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_**A/N:** Set after 4x13_

**Day Five: Dragons**

Riding on Kilgharrah was always a treat for Merlin, even though he usually had some urgent task to worry about during such flights. And today was no exception, as the large dragon had called on the warlock's help after Aithusa had flown off one night and not returned.

"I sense she's not far from here," he told Merlin, "But I cannot see her from the air and she has not responded to my summons. However, the call of a Dragonlord is something far more powerful, and it should not be possible for her to resist it, no matter what else is occupying her at any given time."

Merlin jumped down to the ground and nodded in reply, lifting his head and calling up to the sky. Kilgharrah shook his great head in apparent distress at the sound.

"What's the matter?" the warlock asked.

"It is strange to have you call like that when I'm standing right next to you."

Merlin grinned at his reaction and was about to tease the great creature for it when he heard a noise in the nearby trees. It appeared Kilgharrah had been correct about Aithusa being close by because, within moments, the little white dragon was flying in, grumbling and complaining all the way.

"You are far too young to spend that much time on your own," Kilgharrah scolded Aithusa as she landed in front of Merlin. "You should not have stayed away from me for so long."

"_Not_ on my own," the dragon disagreed. "Didn't want to come here."

"We were worried about you," Merlin explained.

"I'm a _big_ dragon now," she declared before suddenly letting out a squawk and turned back to the trees with a look that almost appeared guilty.

Then, to Merlin's total shock, a very familiar figure strode out of the trees towards their position.

"Aithusa why did you leave and...?" Morgana stopped and her jaw dropped as she saw Merlin standing unharmed in the middle of the field in-between two dragons. There was a long pause as everyone tried to come to terms with this extraordinary situation.

"Witch!" Kilgharrah was the first to react, positioning himself directly behind Merlin and starting to take a deep breath.

"No!" Merlin held a hand out - preparing to command him to stop his planned attack - but Aithusa was quicker; one large hop placing her in front of Morgana, wings spread out as she hissed at the large dragon, protecting the sorceress. Kilgharrah halted, letting out a loud rumble of discontent.

"Merlin, what's going on?" Morgana demanded. "Why are you here with my dragon and... and that?"

"_Your_ dragon?" he scoffed. "Since when?"

"Since she saved my life last month." She looked up at Kilgharrah again. "Isn't that the one that Arthur was supposed to have killed four years ago?"

"As if he could," Kilgharrah scoffed. Merlin was secretly pleased to note how Morgana paled as she heard the dragon's voice properly for the first time and took full note of his size.

"You befriended him?" she asked of Merlin, disbelief audible in every word.

"Aithusa should not be with you," he said, deciding not to answer her question. "She should be growing up with the only other creature of her kind."

"You don't get to have a say in this, Merlin. You do not tell me what to do or whose company I can keep."

"Let me stay, please," Aithusa pleaded with Merlin, her head bowed.

"What are you asking _him_ for?" Morgana snapped. "He's nothing but a serving a boy - a nobody."

"Morgana... I think you should know that-"

"_No-one_ go," Aithusa suddenly said, her maw open in a large, dragon smile. "All stay together. All four. All happy."

"That won't be possible," Merlin replied, whilst Kilgharrah scoffed loudly behind him. "Not any more."

"You haven't answered my question," Morgana continued. "What are you doing here?"

"My duty, Morgana," Merlin snapped. "Something you seem to have forgotten about."

She shook her head. "You don't understand. You never did." She pulled her shoulders back. "Come Aithusa, we're going now," and she turned to leave with a swish of skirts.

Merlin looked up at Kilgharrah and sighed, seeing no other way. "I'm sorry, Morgana," he said. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that. She needs to stay for a little while longer."

And so then, in full view of Morgana, Merlin took a deep breath and spoke to Aithusa in the Dragonlord's tongue. Ordering her to stay with Kilgharrah.

~o~0~o~


End file.
